Category Archives: Carl Jonson

Conner Robbins, former University of Washington golfer and a
Central Kitsap grad, tied for second and Bainbridge’s Carl Jonson,
who just turned pro after playing four years at UNLV, tied for
fourth at the 52nd Lilac City Invitational in Spokane earlier this
month.
Here’s the story from The Spokesman Review.

The long-hitting Robbins gave the mini-tour grind a while a few
years back, took some time off and has played well in the
tournaments he’s entered. He’s now playing out of the Tacoma
Country Club.

Jonson is playing in this week’s Colorado
Open at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver.

Drew Vettleson update: Drew, another
Central Kitsap grad, turned 24 on Sunday. The former first-round
(42nd overall pick in 2010) of the Tampa Rays, is with the
Washington Nationals’ Double-A club in Harrisburg, PA.
Vettleson, an outfielder, went on the DL early last season and
it took him some time to find his swing. Once again, he found
himself on the DL this year after breaking his hamate
bone. He is hitting .211 after going 2-for-5 on Saturday. He got
off to a slow start, but has had five multi-hit games in his last
nine going into Monday.

Harrisburg hitting coach Mark Harris had this to say about
Vettleson at the league’s All-Star break:

“Drew missed a lot of time last year as far as experience in
this league. … In Drew’s case, I think he’s adjusting to getting
pitched a certain way. He’s learning the value of doing something
with your pitch to hit when you get it, so you’re not always down
in the count all of the time. … With him, I think he just needs to
get at-bats.”

Pumas stand for defense: The Kitsap Pumas
start their USL Premier Development League postseason journey on
Friday in Tucson, Arizona, where they will play host FC Tucson in a
Western Conference semifinal at 8 p.m.. The Pumas (10-0-2) are one
of two PDL teams in the 63-team league to finish the season without
a loss.

Kitsap surrendered a league-low four goals in its 12 PDL
games.

Pumas assistant coach Shaun Scobie praised the defense on the
team’s website after its 1-0 win over the Sounders 23 last
week:

“To have the best defensive record in the entire league is
not a fluke. The boys work hard every day trying to be better than
they were the day before and it’s that mentality that’s got us
to this point.”

If the Pumas win, they will face the Sounders FC U23-Burlingame
(Calif.) Dragons winner on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.. The champion
moves on to the PDL’s Final Four. Kitsap won the tournament in 2011
when the Pumas hosted at Memorial Stadium and they were second a
year ago to the Michigan Bucks.

On another Pumas’ note, The Sun’s Jeff Graham
had an interesting take on owner Robin Waite’s interest in
taking the team from the fourth-tier PDL to the third-tier
USL.

More Montero, less Zunino: Jim Moore, who
writes a weekly column for The Sun, also writes for 710 ESPN
Seattle, where he co-hosts an afternoon radio show. Moore’s latest
column for ESPN centered on
why the Mariners didn’t keep Jesus Montero around. They sent
Montero back to Triple-A Tacoma Monday. I’m thinking the same as
Moore on this move. Why not send Jesus Sucre to Tacoma and make
Montero the backup catcher? Yeah, yeah, he wasn’t much of a
defensive catcher in the past, but he’s slimmed down, and
according to what everybody is saying, he’s a more dedicated
player than in the past. His bat just might be worth any defensive
deficiencies he might have. ‘K’unino entered Monday’s game with a
.158 batting average and was striking out almost 36 percent of the
time. He’s the worst hitter in major league baseball. What do the
M’s have to lose by letting Montero catch 2-3 games a
week?

Wilson links: The quarterback’s
contract-extension negotiations with the Seattle Seahawks has taken
on a life of its own. Here are a few recent stories about
it:

During an interview at the ESPYs Wilson said once again that his
contract situation
“will work out.”

Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times wrote about Wilson’s agent,
Mark Rodgers, and the relationship he has with Seattle’s young
star.

Here’s what Pete Carroll had to say about the contract
talks between the Seahawks and Wilson. “He’s crucial, as all of
our guys are,” Carroll told the media in Los Angeles while
accepting an award from ESPN for his humanitarian work. “We
love Russell and we want him back playing for us forever. There’s a
lot of work being done. It’s underway right now and maybe it
happens, I don’t know. We’re hoping for it.”

Troy Kelly and Carl Jonson will try to play their way into the
U.S. Open at Chambers Bay on Monday.

They will be among 50 players gunning for three spots in the
36-hole U.S. Open sectional qualifier at Tumble Creek Club in Cle
Elum.

Kelly, a Central Kitsap grad now living in Lakewood, has
battled injuries on the PGA Tour. The former NCAA runner-up when he
was at Washington qualified for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst,
N.C., in 2005. His best finish on the PGA Tour was a second at The
Greenbrier Classic in 2012. He also played in the British Open that
year.

Bainbridge’s Jonson, who just completed his senior year at UNLV,
made it through local qualifying earlier this year. He was the
Washington State Golf Association Men’s Player of the Year in 2014
and qualified for the U.S. Amateur that was played in 2010 at
Chambers Bay.

Washington All-American Cheng-Tsung Pan, recent runner-up at
the NCAA national championship, is also in the field. He’s
qualified for two U.S. Opens, including 2013 when the
sectional qualifier was also at Tumble Creek.

Another former Husky, Richard Lee, is also entered. Lee, a past
Bremerton City Amateur champion, has had some success on the
PGA and Web.com tours, but hasn’t played this year because of an
injury.

Brent Zapp, head pro at Chambers Bay, will try to qualify to
play in the national championship on his home course

The U.S. Open Trophy Tour stops at Gold Mountain on Saturday
(June 6). It’ll be there from 1-3 p.m.

Golfers are encouraged to take a photo with the trophy and share
via social media using #usopenforall and #lexusgolf to have a
chance to win two tickets to the final round of the U.S. Open at
Chambers Bay.

City Am June 6-7

The annual Bremerton City Amateur, a 36-hole tournament, will be
held Saturday and Sunday at Gold Mountain.

Mercer Island’s Charlie Kern, who finished his college career at
William & Mary last month, will be back to defend his title.
Kern’s best finish this spring was a tie for third at the Redhawks
Invitational in April at Chambers Bay.

Bainbridge teen Sam Warkentin, who won a Class 3A state
championship recently, and Olympic College standout Adam Barker
are among the contenders. Past champion Scott Fenske and Devin
Loudon, who won the 2014 Kitsap Amateur, also also entered.

Kenyan Fanslow from Tacoma, an NWAC standout while at Olympic
College, is also in the field. He’s now at Northwest Nazarene and
was the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Newcomer of the
Year.

Seattle University’s Jarell Flora, senior
guard from Bremerton, scored just five points in an 82-61 loss to
New Mexico State in the Western Athletic Conference championship
game at Las Vegas on Saturday.

A victory would have advanced Seattle U (16-15) to the NCAA
tournament for the first time since 1969.

Flora is Seattle’s second-leading scorer (14.0 points) and
third-leading rebounder (4.6). He was a second-team All-WAC
selection. The 6-foot-3 guard finished with 165 3-pointers in
his career, fifth all-time in school history.

There’s a chance Flora hasn’t played his last college game as
the Redhawks could be a candidate for the College Basketball
Invitational, or possibly the NIT.

Rhyley Callaghan (fr., South Kitsap) and
Deonte Dixon (fr., Bremerton) helped Peninsula to
a third-place finish at the NWAC Championships. Callaghan averaged
17.5 points, 15th in the NWAC, and was the conference’s
fifth-leading shooter from the free-throw line (87.2 percent).
Dixon averaged 16.4 points and 4.1 rebounds.

Western Oregon’s Dana Goularte (sr., South
Kitsap) was a second-team All-Great Northwest Conference pick. For
the second straight year, she ranked among the conference’s top
five in scoring (15.6 points, fifth) and rebounding (8.6,
second). Goularte led the Wolves (8-18) in 13 statistical
categories this season.

Krista Stabler (jr., Central Kitsap) was an
honorable mention All-GNAC pick for St. Martin’s. She
led the Saints (11-16) in scoring (12.1 ppg) and assists (48).

Sadee Jones (sr., North Mason) was an
All-Cascade Collegiate Conference first-team pick for Evergreen
State. Jones averaged 15.6 points and a conference-leading 8.6
rebounds a game despite her 5-foot-6
stature. Jones had 14 double-doubles. Irene
Moore (sr., King’s West/Olympic College) was a
reserve guard for Geoducks (16-10). Brittany Gray
(sr., Bainbridge/Skagit Valley) averaged 15.9 points and 9.3
rebounds in 12 games before using up her eligibility.

Ashli Payne (so., Olympic HS) and
Sawyer Kluge (fr., Bremerton) helped Umpqua to a
27-5 record and third-place finish at the NWAC Championships.
Payne, who is playing in the NWAC All-Star games on Sunday at
Clackamas, Ore., averaged 17.8 points (5th in the NWAC), 10
rebounds (4th), 4.3 assists (8th) and 2.1 steals (18th). Kluge
averaged 14.7 points (18th) and was seventh in the conference in
free-throw shooting (81.6 percent).

BASEBALL

Shane Matheny (fr., Olympic HS) is the starting
third baseman at Washington State. Matheny was hitting .229 with a
home run and seven RBI going into Saturday’s Pac-12 game at
USC. He had started all 17 games for the Cougars (11-6).

Central Washington first baseman Kasey Bielec
(sr., North Mason) was 9-for-15 in a four-game series against
Northwest Nazarene and it hitting .397 with four HRs and 16 RBI for
the Wildcats (12-10). Infielder Tanner Romo (jr.,
South Kitsap/Everett CC) is a backup infielder at CWU.

Catcher Curtis Windung (jr., North Kitsap) is
hitting .243 with a home run for Pacific Lutheran (14-6).

Tyler Ludlow (fr., South Kitsap), a first
baseman, is hitting .292 (7-24) with a double for Jamestown (N.D.).
Nick Torres (fr., Bremerton) is also playing for
the Jimmies (8-4). Torres has a save and 6.23 ERA in 4.1
innings after appearing in three games in relief.

Alissa Buss (so., South Kitsap) and
Erin Kinney (so., Bainbridge) are holding down the
left side of the infield for Linfield (11-5). Buss, playing
shortstop, is hitting .441 (26-for-59) with a double and triple.
Kinney, a third baseman, is hitting .306 (15-49) with a home run
and 9 RBI.

Emma Keller (fr., North Kitsap) was hitting
.353 (12-34 with 2 doubles) for the NAIA Jamestown (N.D.) Jimmies
(10-8). She has made two pitching appearance and had a 14.8 ERA for
5.2 innings of work. Kalea Chapman (jr., Juneau,
Alaska/Olympic College) is a backup utility player for the
Jimmies.

GOLF

UNLV’s Carl Jonson (sr., Bainbridge) tied for
43rd at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters, which was
played at Southern Highlands Golf Club in Las Vegas this week.
UNLV finished 10th in a field that included 10 of the top 25 teams
in the country. Jonson ranks No. 168 in the World Amateur
Golf Rankings, down 12 spots from the previous week.

UCLA’s Erynne Lee (sr., Central Kitsap) is
coming off a victory in the Bruin Wave Classic and is off until the
Liz Murphy Collegiate Championship, which begins March 27 in
Athens, Ga. Lee’s victory boosted her from No. 55 to No. 29 in the
women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings.

The annual Snorting Elk tournament, held at Kitsap Golf &
Country Club, drew a full field with 20 more golfers with handicaps
of 0 or less. The field is probably the best for any tournament
held on this side of the water.

Congratulations to Randy Grosz, a former Kitsap member now
living in Portland, for putting it all together every
year. Somebody from Oregon won with a 4-under 67. We’ll try to
get complete results.

Free golf

In case you missed it, you can play Port Orchard’s Village
Greens, an executive course run by Kitsap County Parks & Rec,
for free on Monday, March 9 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 871-1222 for
information. PGA Club pro Ron Weir is also staging free clinics
(12:30-1:30 p.m. full swing; 1:30-2:30 p.m. short game).

Practice round tickets available for U.S.
Open

Tickets for the four rounds at the 2015 U.S. Open, being held at
Chambers Bay in University Point on June 18-21, have been sold out,
but you can still buy tickets for the practice rounds.

For $100, you can buy a gallery ticket for all three
practice days (June 15-17). They are free for active-duty military
and children 12 and under who are accompanied by an adult ticket
holder.

The Home Course in Dupont (May 11) and Wine Valley Golf Club in
Walla Walla (May 12) will be the only state courses hosting 18-hole
local qualifiers for the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay. They are
two of 111 local qualifying sites across the country.

Pros and amateurs with a handicap 1.4 or lower are
eligible. The top scorers at the local qualifiers
advance to play in sectional qualifiers, which take place June 8 in
a 36-hole format at 10 courses around the country. Japan and
England will host international sectional qualifiers on May 25.

Collegians

UCLA’s Erynne Lee, a senior from Central
Kitsap, tied for third individually and helped the No. 5-ranked
Bruins to a second-place finish at the Allstate Sugar Bowl
Intercollegiate in Baton Rouge, La. Lee finished at 1-under 215,
moving up to No. 48 in the Golfstate collegiate rankings and
dropping her scoring average to 72.9 in 18 rounds. The Bruins
and Pepperdine co-host the Wave Classic March 2-3 at the El
Callabero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif. No. 3 Washington is the
highest-ranked team in the field.

UNLV’s Carl Jonson, senior from Bainbridge,
shot 75-75-76 and tied for 49th at the John Bruns Collegiate in
Hawaii. Jonson’s scoring average is 73.6 after 18 rounds. His best
finish this season has been a sixth. The Rebels host the Southern
Highlands Collegiate Masters on March 9-11 at Southern Highlands
Golf Club in Las Vegas.

Troy Kelly update

Central Kitsap grad and former UW golfer Troy Kelly has missed
the cut in all four PGA Tour tournaments he’s entered this
year. Still on a major injury exemption, Kelly has six tournaments
left to earn $563,111 or 353 FedEx Cup points to maintain full-time
playing privileges.

Carl Jonson of Bainbridge, currently a senior at UNLV, and Sam
Warkentin, a Bainbridge High senior, are the Washington State Golf
Association Players of the Year. Jonson was voted the men’s player
of the year, and Warkentin was the junior boys player of the
year.

Jonson had seven major top-25 finishes this past year.

Warkentin won the Pacific Northwest Junior Boys Champion and won
the Washington State Junior Golf Association
State Championship.

Starting to wonder if Central Washington’s Isaiah
Thomas, junior defensive back/punt and kickoff returner
from South Kitsap, might not have a chance to play in the NFL.
Thomas, a D2 preseason All-American, was the Great Northwest
Athletic Conference Player of the Week after helping the Wildcats
beat Western Oregon 24-20.

Thomas’ interception and two punt returns led to scores for
Central (4-3, 3-1 GNAC). Thomas has six picks a year ago, and
according to this
story on the CWU website, opponents are not challenging him
much this season.

At Minot State (N.D.), Leon La Deaux (sr.,
South Kitsap) leads the winless Beavers with 35 catches for 491
yards and two touchdowns. …. Brother Aaron La
Deaux (so., South Kitsap) punts (49 for a 38.9 average
with a long of 68) and handles kickoff duties for the Beavers. Nine
of his 22 kicks have resulted in touchbacks. … Defensive back
Bryce Broome (so., South Kitsap) is Minot’s
fourth-leading tackler (24 solo, 15 assists) and has 2.5 tackles
for losses and two interceptions.

At Eastern Oregon, defensive tackle Kyle Lanoue
(so., Central Kitsap) is having a standout season for the NAIA
Mountaineers (4-3, 3-3 Frontier Conference). He’s fourth on the
team in tackles (23 solo, 17 assists in seven games and has 6.5
tackles for losses and two sacks.

In his first appearance since last year’s nationals,
Shane Moskowitz (sr., Central Kitsap) of Oklahoma
State was second at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational in
Sunnyvale, Calif., on Oct. 18. “Shane’s an experienced guy, so
it was good to have him back,” coach DaveSmith said. “He’s a
fifth-year senior and he was the fifth guy on a national
championship squad, so it was good to have him back. He knocked off
a little bit of rust today, but as long as he gets a few more races
under his belt, I think he’ll be at a good level in time for the
national championships.” Next up: the Big 12 Championships,
Nov. 1., in Lawrence, Kan.

In women’s soccer, Becca Schoales (so.,
South Kitsap) has three goals, all game winners, for the Washington
Huskies (10-4, 3-2 Pac-12). The forward has started seven of
14 games.

Midfielder Delanee Nilles (jr., North Kitsap)
has a goal and two assists for No. 20-ranked Western Washington (
12-0-2, 8-0-2 GNAC). She’s started 12 of 14 games. … Becca
Cates (so., North Kitsap) has played in 10 games as a
midfielder for the Vikings, averaging 22 minutes a game.

Kailey Lyman (jr., South Kitsap) has started
all 14 games for Pacific Lutheran (10-3-1, 8-2
Northwest Conference). The midfielder has one assist.

Evergreen’s Amy Bromley (fr., Central Kitsap)
has five goals and four assists for the Geoducks (4-9-1, 2-4-1
Cascade Collegiate Conference). Irina Lyons (jr.,
Port Townsend/Edmonds) has started four games for Evergreen.

Midfielder Jalyn Halstead (jr., Olympic) has
started 11 of the 12 games she’s played in for Linfield (10-3, 7-3
Northwest Conference).

Midfielder Micaylla O’Leary (sr. Olympic) has
started four of 14 games for St. Martin’s (1-11-1, 1-8-1 GNAC).

In men’s soccer, midfielder Diego Aceves (so.,
South Kitsap) and Jacob Beck (fr., Central Kitsap)
are playing for Pacific Lutheran (7-8, 4-5 Northwest Conference).
Aceves has started 13 of 15 games and has a goal. Beck, a
defender, has started six of the eight games he’s played in. He’s a
freshman in eligibility, but a junior in school.

In golf, Carl Jonson (sr., Bainbridge) has a
sixth, tie for 22nd, T25 and T48 in four fall
tournaments for No. 24 UNLV. His sixth came at the Jerry Pate
National Collegiate in Alabama last month.

Erynne Lee (sr., Central Kitsap) tied for
fourth at the Stanford Collegiate tournament, helping No. 8
UCLA to a second-place finish. She had 3-under 68 on the final day.
Lee tied for 42nd and tied for 36th in earlier events this
fall.

Western Oregon’s Bridjet Box (sr., South
Kitsap/Olympic College) was 3-for-3 with three home runs and five
RBI in a 20-9 win over Central Washington in the GNAC Championship
game on Saturday. Box was named the MVP of the tournament after
hitting .750. For the season, she hit .379 with seven homers
and 41 RBI for the Wolves (33-21), who advance to the NCAA Division
II playoffs.

Western Washington’s Haylee Baker (sr.,
Bainbridge/Bellevue CC) hit .354 with eight HRs and 46 RBI for the
Vikings (30-14), who finished second to Western Oregon in the GNAC
regular season.

Erin Kinney (fr., Bainbridge) is hitting .405
for Linfield (33-7), which won the Northwest Conference and opens
play in the NCAA D3 regional playoffs next. Kinney, who has been
used at designated hitter most of the time, has four homers and 21
RBI in 29 starts. She’s played in 39 games.

GOLF

UNLV’s Carl Jonson (jr., Bainbridge) was named
to the first-team All-Mountain West Men’s Golf Team. Jonson is
second on the Rebels in scoring (72.64) and 10th in the
conference. He has three top-10 finishes in 10 events this season
with a fourth-place showing at the Jackrabbit Invitational. He has
shot in 60s three times with a low of 67. The Rebels will compete
in the NCAA regionals on May 15-17 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar
Grove, Ill.

UCLA’s Erynne Lee (jr., Central Kitsap) was
named to the first-team All-Pac-12 Women’s Golf Team for the third
straight year. Lee posted her third college win in September at the
Mason Rudolph Classic and has seven top-10 finishes this season
with an average score of 71.7. Lee and teammate, Alison Lee, the
consensus No. 1 player in women’s college golf, were named to the
2014 U.S. Curtis Cup team in march.

TRACK & FIELD

Ruby Roberts (jr., Kingston) wasn’t supposed to
run the 3,000 meters, but she did and her third-place finish was
the difference as she helped Washington State beat Washington 82-81
in a Pac-12 dual in Pullman on Saturday. Roberts ran 9:35.38. She
was also second in the 1500 (4:30.13). Cameron
Brink (so., Bainbridge) won the discus (154-11) and
CJ Allen (fr., North Mason) was second with a PR
in the 400 hurdles (48.14) for the WSU men, who lost 84-79 to the
Huskies.

Western Washington’s John Hoskin (so.,
Bainbridge) won the javelin (181-2) at the St. Martin’s
Invitational on Saturday. WWU competes in the GNAC Championships on
May 9-10 at Monmouth, Ore.

BASEBALL

Tyler Baumgartner (sr., Central Kitsap/Bellevue
CC) is hitting .309 for the Oregon Ducks (34-13, 13-8 Pac-12).
Baumgartner has started all 47 games in the outfield and has one
home run and a team-high 37 RBI.

Kasey Bielec (jr., North Mason) is hitting .340
with seven homers and 38 RBI for Central Washington (28-18, 17-14
GNAC). Pitcher Kurtis Pitcher (sr.,
Klahowya/Western Oregon/Olympic) is 2-2 with a 4.07 ERA for
Central. The lefty has started nine games and pitched 42.1 innings.
Central opens GNAC tournament play on May 8 against St. Martin’s at
Western Oregon.

Outfielder Daniel Jewett (jr., North
Kitsap/Truman State (Mo.)/Omaha University) is hitting .324 for the
Mavericks (23-19, 8-8 Summit Conference) with a home run and 22
RBI.

Josh Sontag (so., Central Kitsap) helped St.
Martin’s (18-28, 14-17 GNAC), reach the conference tournament as
the No. 3 seed. Sontag, who is hitting .122 with a home run in 29
at bats, developed into a starting pitcher and was 2-5 with a 5.52
ERA in 60.1 inning. The 6-foot-2 right-hander got a no decision,
but pitched 5.2 strong innings in an 11-6 win over beating Central
Washington in a key game on Saturday. Sontag’s started 10
games.

Linfield’s Joe Stevick (jr., Olympic) has
appeared in 13 games, pitching 20.2 innings of relief for the
Wildcats (33-7), who won the Northwest Conference and will play in
the NCAA D3 playoffs. Stevick a 6-6 right-hander, is 0-2 with a
3.48 ERA. He has struck out 11, walked two and allowed 17 hits.

A.J. Milyard (fr., North Kitsap) appeared in
two games as a relief pitcher for Whitworth (13-22).

Two former Olympic College Rangers and Kitsap BlueJackets —
pitchers Devin Smith (jr., West Seattle) and
catcher Dustin Dhanani (jr., Blaine) — are playing
at NCAA Division I Alabama A&M (20-29, 12-9) of the
Southwestern Athletic Conference. Smith is 4-6 with a 4.31 ERA, and
is the workhorse of the staff with 79.1 innings pitched in 15
appearances (11 starts). Dhanani is hitting .234 and has started 30
games.

Daniel Orr (jr., Kingston/Everett CC) led
Corban University (29-26) in virtually ever major hitting
statistic. The first baseman batted .374 with 23 doubles, four
triples, three HRs and drove in 48 runs.

Catcher Curtis Wildung (jr., North Kitsap) is
hitting .224 for Pacific Lutheran (25-14, 16-8 Northwest
Conference) with four home runs and 14 RBI. He has started 33
games.

Tacoma CC: Quinn Eldridge (so., Chimacum) is
5-0 with a 1.12 ERA for the Titans, who are 32-2 and ranked No. 1
in the NWAACC poll. Eldrige has appeared in nine games, four as a
starter. He’s pitched 32 innings, struckout 24, walked nine and
allowed 24 hits and five runs. … Cory Main (fr.,
South Kitsap) is 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA as a reliever. He’s
pitched 18.2 innings and has allowed 11 hits, fanned 12
and walked three.

Good news for the Seahawksand their
fans: Defensive lineman Michael Bennett reportedly turned
down more money to sign
a four-year deal with the Seahawks. That’s a big signing as the
versatile Bennett was a big part of the NFL’s best defense. He was
Seattle’s best pass rusher. What’s the next priority, wide receiver
Golden Tate or defensive linemen Clinton McDaniel or Tony McDonald?
Tate’s such a good fit, at receiver and as a punter returner, and I
still don’t think we’ve seen the best out of him. If he’s willing
to take a lesser deal to stay, why not?

34-0: Haven’t paid much attention to NCAA
hoops this season, but it’s hard not to pull for
unbeaten Wichita State. They got to the Final Four as a
No. 9 seed a year ago. They should be a No. 1 seed this year. If
the Shockers run the table, they would be 40-0. Talk about
March Madness.

Willie Bloomquistupdate:
Willie was 3-for-3 on Sunday and seemingly fitting in with the
Mariners like a glove. The veteran utility player from South Kitsap
is going to be a McCormick Woods Golf Course on April 10 to help
raise money for a new scoreboard at the South Kitsap baseball
field, which will be re-named for the late, great coach Elton
Goodwin. The Kitsap Athletic Roundtable is hosting the event. More
details — time, cost, etc. — later this week.
Meanwhile, Seattle
Times columnist Jerry Brewer wrote about Bloomquist on
Sunday.

More Mariners: I know it’s only spring
training, but lots of young Mariners are having solid camps in
Peoria. Cole Gillespie has caught my eye. Former Oregon State
outfielder is hitting .533 (7-for-15) with a double, triple and 7
RBI. He can play left or right. Hit .300 and .308 at Triple-A Reno
in 2011 and 2012 with brief MLB duty with Arizona. He spent parts
of 2013 with Giants and Cubs. If Corey Hart isn’t ready to go
full-time at the start of the season, or if Michael Saunders
doesn’t produce, could there be room for a solid, all-around guy
like Gillespie? He’s 29. Maybe it’s his time?

Hot, hot hot: Olympic College’s Greta
Coleman, sophomore from Kingston, is 9-for-13 in her last three
games, all OC victories. She has had four doubles and seven RBI in
that stretch, including a game-winning hit in the bottom of the
seventh against Southwest Oregon on Sunday when she ripped a line
shot to RCF on an 0-2 count. Coleman and Alexa Eckonomakis are
transfers from Shoreline, which dropped its program for a year
after going through coaching changes.

Nice RAC: Olympic College’s softball had
an opportunity to play at the Regional
Athletic Complex in Lacey on Sunday. Four fields with turf
infields and grass outfields. (There’s also six regulation
soccer/football/rugby fields). Best complex around. Wonder if the
Kitsap rec departments or school districts will ever get one
turfed field for baseball or softball. We’re so far behind
you wonder if we can ever catch up.

Troy Kelly birdied three of his final four
holes on Sunday to tied for 23rd in the PGA Tour’s Chile Classic in
Santiago, Chile. Nice effort after being out of competition for a
year. Kelly plays three more Web.com Tour events — in Brazil,
Panama and Louisiana — before returning to the PGA Tour at the
Houston Open.

Black and red and winning: Did you see who
broke out his red shirt and black pants on Sunday while winning a
PGA Tour event? Yeah, Patrick Reed, the latest young gun. This Reed
guy might be the real thing. He’s 23 and he’s already won three
tour events. And he’s pretty confident, too. Pretty confident?
Hell, he’s Larry Bird/Muhammad Ali/Richard Sherman on grass. Read
this
New York Daily News story to get a flavor.

More golf news: UNLV’s Carl Jonson, a junior
from Bainbridge, tied for eighth and helped the Rebels win the
Collegiate Masters at South Highland Golf Course in Las Vegas.
Jonson shot 4-over 70-78-72—220 and tied for eighth
individually in a tournament that featured the toughest field of
the season.

Here’s some updates on local athletes playing college sports. I
know it’s not an all-inclusive list. If you know somebody else who
is out there, please add a comment to this blog:

TRACK AND
FIELD

Shane Moskowitz (jr., Central Kitsap) was part
of an Oklahoma State distance medley relay that qualified for the
NCAA Indoor Championships at the Alex Wilson Invitational in South
Bend, Ind., on Saturday.

Moskowitz ran the 1,200 meters leg and the Cowboys finished with
a time of 9:29.91, which missed the school record by 1.5 seconds.
The mark ranks No. 7 in the NCAA. The top 12 relays qualify for the
national meet.

Moskowitz has run a 7:57.79 3,000 meters and a 2:24.48 1,000
yards this indoor season.

Irene Moore (jr., King’s West/Olympic College)
is competing in the pentathlon. She was 11th at the GNAC Indoor
Track & Field Championships. … Erika Crock
(sr., South Kitsap) is a distance runner for the Saints.

SOFTBALL

Haylee Baker (Sr., Bainbridge/Bellevue CC) is
hitting .455 for Western Washington (8-3) going into this weekend.
The shortstop has one homer and 7 RBI.

Guard Krista Stabler (so., Central Kitsap)
averages 7.5 points for St. Martin’s (15-10, 9-7 Great Northwest
Athletic Conference). She’s started five games for the Saints and
plays 20.8 minutes per game.

BASEBALL

Two former Olympic College players — pitcher Devin
Smith (jr., West Seattle) and catcher Dustin
Dhanani (jr., Blaine) — are playing at NCAA Division I
Alabama A&M (3-8). Smith is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA after two
starts. He has pitched 14 innings and allowed 10 hits, striking out
eight and walking two. Dhanani has started seven games and is
hitting .143.

Daniel Orr (jr., Kingston, Everett CC) is
hitting .354 for Corban University (5-6). The IB/OF has four
doubles, five triples and 14 RBI, all team highs.

Catcher Curtis Wildung (jr., North Kitsap) is
hitting .214 for Pacific Lutheran (5-4). Wildung hit a home run in
a 1-0 win over Concordia and has started eight games.

Pitcher Joe Stevick (jr., Olympic) has been
strong in three early relief outings for Linfield (7-2). Stevick
has appeared in three games, pitching seven innings and allowing
just one hit with a 0.00 ERA. He has three strikeouts, one walk and
a save.

Infielder Kasey Bielec (jr., North Mason) is
hitting .360 for Central Washington (4-4). He has two home runs and
five RBI. … CWU lefty pitcher Kurtis Pitcher (sr.,
Klahowya, Western Oregon, Olympic College) pitched seven strong
innings in his only start, a no-decision. He allowed five hits and
two earned runs.

Josh Sontag (so., Central Kitsap) is an
infielder/pitcher for St. Martin’s (1-6). Sontag is hitting .111
(just 9 at-bats) and has a 3.18 ERA after two appearances and 5.2
innings of relief.

GOLF

UCLA’s Erynne Lee (jr., Central Kitsap) shot
71-66-74—211 and tied for sixth at the Allstate Sugar Bowl
Intercollegiate in New Orleans. UCLA won the team title in the
tourney played at the English Turn G&CC.

UNLV’s Carl Jonson (jr., Bainbridge) tied for
14th at 1-under 143 at the Burns Intercollegiate in
Lihue, Hawaii. The final round was rained out. The Rebels tied for
eighth as a team.

The line for the Washington Huskies was 7.5. It was 4.5 for the
Washington State Cougars. Will the Huskies win more than seven
games? Will WSU win more than four?

Here’s how Huston sized up the UW and WSU:

Washington, 7.5

Over (-120)/Under (-120)

The Huskies have been consistently mediocre under Steve
Sarkisian with three straight 7-6 seasons. This may be his last
chance to show he can get it done in Seattle. The talent is
certainly there, with all-star recruits on both sides of the ball.
But this Husky program is still trying to find its identity. The
schedule does Sarkisian no favors, as Washington opens withBoise
State, then travels to Chicago to take on Illinois.
October is a bear, with a home game against Oregon sandwiched
between road games at Stanford and Arizona State. It’s going to be
tough for UW to break out of its 7-win gulag. VERDICT:
Under

Washington State, 4.5

Over (-130)/Under (-110)

Mike Leach is in his second season in the Palouse and his
team should be much improved after last season’s disappointing 3-9
record. Whether that will translate into more wins is the big
question. The season starts out rough, with road trips to Auburn
and USC, but games against cream puffs Southern Utah
and Idaho means
the Cougars should be 2-2 heading into a late September game
against Stanford in Seattle. WSU doesn’t have Colorado on its
schedule, but it also misses UCLA. The last three games against
Arizona, Utah and Washington will determine the win total and I
like Leach’s chances to get two of those three. VERDICT:
Over.

If UW quarterback Keith Price gets his mojo back after a
disappointing 2012 season, I think Washington has a chance to win
nine, maybe 10 games. The defense was much-improved a year ago, and
it should be even better. The offensive line should also be a
strength. And, like Huston pointed out, this could be Sarkisian’s
last chance to get it done. Another seven-win season and the
honeymoon will be over. Another seven-win season and Sark’s stock
will drop considerably.

I’m think Leach will get it done on the Palouse, but only if his
team can get some sort of a running game established. Doesn’t need
to be much, but it has to be better than it was a year ago when WSU
ran for an average of 29.1 yards a game. They’ve got some
experience up front, including John Fullington, the senior from
North Mason who has started the last 30 games for the Cougars. Look
for the Cougs to win six games. If they won’t win four, Leach might
catch the next pirate ship out of Pullman.

Jonson tied for 14th

Bainbridge’s Carl Jonson, who will be a junior at UNLV, is tied
for 5th after the first round at the PNGA Men’s Amateur, being
played at Bandon Dunes Resort in Oregon. Jonson shot a 3-over 75 on
the Bandon Dunes course Saturday. He plays Bandon Trails today. The
low 64 advance to match play.
Here’s the leaderboard.

Jonson was medalist in this event a year ago at Wine Tree Golf
Club in Walla Walla and advanced to the championship match, where
he lost 5 & 4 to Ban Shotaro of San Jose, Calif. Shotaro also
carded an opening-round 75. He’s playing in the same threesome with
Jonson. The other player in the group, Mark Strickland of Mukilteo,
shot 1-under 69 and sits atop the leaderboard.

Ed Jonson, Carl’s dad, won this tournament in 1974 at the
Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish.

Port Orchard’s Bjorn Bjorke is in a good position to make the
cut to match-play after shooting 77 on the Bandon Dunes course. The
Olympic College golf coach is tied for 16th at 5-over.

Sherman’s softball game today

Festivities for Richard Sherman’s Celebrity Softball Game
Sunday, July 7, at Tacoma’s Cheney Stadium begin at noon. Here’s a
list of some of the celebs scheduled to show up. Lots of
Seahawks will be there. Larry Fitzgerald of the Cardinals and
ex-Sonic Shawn Kemp are also playing. Says here that Golden Tate’s
the early favorite to win the home-run derby. Pete Carroll and
Russell Wilson will coach the teams.